


Era Three Exercise

by NecklaceOfDiamondsAndPearls



Series: Bellow Diamond Week 2k19 [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: A little bit of angst, F/F, Fusion, but also a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-08 08:57:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19866931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NecklaceOfDiamondsAndPearls/pseuds/NecklaceOfDiamondsAndPearls
Summary: Steven gasped. That wasn't the lights of Homeworld. Yellow and Blue were glowing! He and Garnet watched on in amazement as Yellow and Blue morphed, shifted, and formed something entirely new.Green Diamond was magnificent.Posted for Bellow Diamond week 2019, Day One: Era 3.Steven still wasn't sure how he felt about officially being part of the Diamond authority. But if he had to be apart of it, then some changes had to be made on Homeworld. Starting with what he considered to be the most important; the Homeworld outlook on fusion.





	Era Three Exercise

**Author's Note:**

> So... Yeah. This probably won't be the best take on Day one, but I've never been part of a ship week and wanted to try my hand at it ^-^
> 
> Not beta-read. All mistakes are my own!

"Steven, this is a highly unusual request. Even for you."

"But it will be good for them, and You!" Steven insisted with a huff as he and Connie struggled to climb their way up White Diamond's dress.

The grand Diamond offered her hand for them to climb on instead, setting Connie down on the arm of her throne and letting Steven rest in her lap. "We've already changed our policies on fusion. Our gems are happier and more productive now. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"No! Well, yes. But…" Steven gave another annoyed huff at his own jumbled thoughts.

"But he didn't want you to do that just for him." Connie piped up, jumping up and down in front of the holographic screen that White had been staring at since they arrived in the ballroom. "Real change doesn't work like that. If you want to prove to your gems, and to Steven, that you really have changed your mind; you'll let Yellow and Blue do this. Let them experience fusion. Let them see what other gems have been wanting and waiting to experience for millennia."

White phased her screen away and looked at the two children with a sigh. "Starlight, I'm not even sure if two Diamonds can fuse. Fusion makes gems stronger, but we are supposed to be the strongest gems there are."

"Diamonds may be hard, but they're also brittle. Yellow said so herself." Steven insisted, bracing his hands on White's massive forearm. "Maybe together, they won't be brittle at all. And besides, if a human and Diamond can fuse," He sent a shy grin Connie's way, "Anything is possible! Just a day, White. That's all I'm asking for. Please?"

Another sigh, "And what do Yellow and Blue have to say about this? Have you asked them if they would _want_ to fuse?"

"Yes. And they said they'd try it!"

"You're joking."

"Nope." Steven laughed, but then he gave a little sigh of his own. "White, I have to be honest with you… I'm not sure how I feel about being part of Era Three. Just because I have mom's gem doesn't mean I want to be a Diamond. I want to be myself. But I also want to get to know you. Because Pink was part of you, just like she is part of me. And if being here with you means being part of Era Three; then you, Yellow, and Blue have to make it worth my time. Real change should happen on Homeworld. Not just enough change to keep me coming back."

White raised a delicate brow. "Did you give that same speech to Yellow and Blue?"

Steven flashed a proud smile. "That. And Connie and I wouldn't leave their chambers until they both agreed."

"Alright, Alright… obstinate as ever, I see." A fond but exasperated smile graced White's lips. "I'm afraid one full day may be a little too long for an experimental fusion… but I concede."

With star-studded eyes Steven hugged White's arm. "You're the best! And if anything goes wrong, the Crystal Gems are here to help!"

A weak sound of agreement sounded from Amethyst and Pearl, who were standing awkwardly in the corner with Garnet; who gave a thumbs up even though her face seemed to scream reluctance.

"Very well." White moved Steven onto the arm of her throne before pulling up her screen again and pressed the white, yellow, blue, and pink keys of the Diamond Chime. "Yellow and Blue Diamond, your presence is required in the ballroom."

* * *

The first attempt was… not a success.

But they had gotten close! A massive form had almost completely materialized, only to shriek and fall apart. Once they were standing upright again, Blue apologized profusely. She hadn't meant to cry, she was just so happy they were all there to witness such a momentous occasion. The second attempt wasn't that great either. The Diamonds had barely begun to glow before ending up a tangle of awkward limbs. Yellow didn't mean to miss a step in the fusion dance Amethyst had taught them. But in her defence, the little purple gem was too erratic to keep up with.

 _Well, third time's the charm._ Steven thought.

On the third attempt… nothing happened. After a simple waltz directed by Pearl, Yellow had led Blue into a dip; both Diamonds waiting for their gems to glow. To do anything. Steven barely managed to not cry.

"Ugh, this is pointless!" Yellow shouted, storming out of the ballroom. Blue followed close behind as she begged her fellow Diamond to wait.

Steven sulked his way back to Pink's throne and sat dejectedly next to Connie, who wrapped her arms around him in a supportive hug.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Starlight." White sighed. "But they did what they could."

"It's because Yellow popped when she should have locked." Amethyst giggled, only to have Pearl cover her mouth and pull her away from the others.

"At least they tried. That's more than I was really expecting. I'm… I'm gonna go to mom's room for awhile." Steven hopped off of Pink's throne, but just as he made it out of the ballroom, Garnet placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I've asked Connie to stay with Amethyst and Pearl. And I need you to stay with me."

"Why?"

"Because Yellow and Blue still haven't fused."

"But, Garnet. They can't fuse. You were in there with us. Didn't you see them fail?"

Adjusting her visor, Garnet smirked, "I saw them almost succeed. And on the first try. I'm impressed."

Steven couldn't help smiling. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right! They got so close. What do you think we should do to help?"

"Well, we should probably find them first."

"Gasp! Future vision?" Steven's smile got impossibly wider.

"Future vision." Garnet repeated, giving Steven a high five.

* * *

They found the two giant women in a hallway Steven thought could have been an observation deck. The entire right wall was glass, making the room inside seem to spin with all the lights from other Homeworld structures bouncing around. In the center of the hallway stood Yellow and Blue. Steven was just about to call for them, but Garnet's hand on his head made him stop and look at her. She held a finger up to her lips and pulled Steven behind one of the massive stone columns lined up to their left.

"I don't want to spy on them, Garnet." He whispered. "I want to talk."

"Just watch." Garnet whispered back.

Looking back towards the Diamonds he could see Yellow gazing out of the massive window, her back as straight and rigid as the neighboring spires outside. Blue approached her fellow Diamond slowly, wrapping her arms around Yellow's waist from behind. "We almost did it."

"Almost isn't good enough."

Blue was silent for a moment as she rested her head against Yellow's back. "It was for _her_."

Yellow already looked so tense, it surprised Steven to see her stiffen even more. "You've forgotten Pink's impatience. The only thing that could appease her was our success."

"She was in awe. And so were we, if memory serves. We were only fused for mere seconds."

Yellow gave a mirthless laugh and bowed her head. "Mere seconds fused, and then hundreds of lifetimes spent condemning it. Condemning ourselves. And by extension, our gems."

"But that has changed." Blue pulled away, circling around to stand in front of Yellow and meet her gaze. "We have freedom now. Doesn't it feel good to not have to pretend to abhor fusion? Wouldn't it feel good to be us again? To be made of love?"

Steven couldn't see, but he could swear he heard Yellow sniffling as the golden gem pulled Blue into a tight hug. The light still bouncing around the hallway seeming to move even faster.

Steven gasped. That wasn't the lights of Homeworld. Yellow and Blue were glowing! He and Garnet watched on in amazement as Yellow and Blue morphed, shifted, and formed something entirely new.

Green Diamond was magnificent.

Standing nearly as tall as the hallway itself, the gigantic fusion looked down at her four jade hands before running them through unkempt mint hair. Her teal skirt kicked up winds almost as strong as a hurricane as she spun around and laughed; the window of the observation deck shaking from the sound. Her sets of amber and azure eyes sparkled brighter than any star.

"I was almost afraid they didn't know how to be me."

Even though Yellow and Blue didn't know they were in there, Steven was sure the fusion was speaking to him. But as he stepped forward to introduce himself, Garnet stopped him again. "We need to give her more time."

With that, Garnet headed back to the ballroom.

Torn between wanting to stay with Green and needing Garnet to help find his way back to the ballroom, Steven ran after her. "Hey, Garnet! Maybe we shouldn't leave them. It was a struggle for them to form. What if they become unstable? She may need us."

"She'll be fine. She may stumble around, but she won't fall apart again."

"Is that what your future vision is showing you?"

"My future vision shows me many things. But I'm taking a chance on what I want to happen."

"What do you _want_ to happen?"

Garnet stopped walking, seeming to ponder for a moment before turning to Steven and kneeling down to see him eye-to-eye. "I want them to be happy. The days of seeing fusion as just a battle technique are over. On some level, I think they've always known that. But now is their chance to _live_ it. As much as I still… dislike them, they're experience now can shape this planet for eons to come."

"Then we've got some work to do." Steven said with a determined grin. "Let's go convince White to give Yellow and Blue more time. Era Three and the future of Homeworld depends on it!"

Garnet stood as she ruffled his hair and adjusted her visor. "Something tells me we'll change her mind."

**Author's Note:**

> The internet can be a vast, lonely place, so come on over and kick it with me on [ tumblr! ](https://necklaceofdiamondsandpearls.tumblr.com/)


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